Everyone has times in their lives when they feel down, sad and dejected. This is just part of life, and the feeling usually goes away after a short time. But there are some people who cannot bounce out of it, and they end up suffering from major depression. This can be recognized by looking for various signs.
Lack of Interest
People who suffer from major depression do not find interest in things that they used to like playing sports, hanging out with friends, going to the movies, reading and having sex. Loss of job interest and reduced work performance can also be signs of depression.
Trouble With Sleep
There are a couple of signs involved with sleep. Major depression can cause you to wake up multiple times during the night worrying about things, or you can have trouble falling asleep altogether. On the other side of this, you may want to sleep all the time and take naps during the day when you would normally be doing other things. This disordered sleeping pattern can also cause fatigue during the day and night.
Changes in Appetite
When you have major depression your appetite can become altered, which can lead to weight gain or weight loss. Some people look to food for comfort when they are depressed, which can lead to weight gain. Other people lose their appetite altogether and they stop eating, which leads to weight loss.
Low Emotions
Major depression can cause you to be in a constant bad mood. You can feel hopeless, sad, annoyed, restless and irritable. A feeling of emptiness and worthlessness can also be seen. If you have a lot of crying spells for no apparent reason, you may have major depression.
Troubled Mind
Your mind can also become altered when you have major depression. You can have a hard time concentrating on simple things; you can have an inability to focus and you may also have a hard time making easy decisions. In the worst of cases, suicidal thoughts and behaviors can be present.
Physical Pain
Physical problems, such as aches and pains in the muscles and joints, can arise for no explained reason when you have major depression. You can also suffer headaches and lose your temper really quickly at irrelevant issues.
